1.  Shore power, WFCO on using power, charging battery (S-9+20 chirp), and TV antenna amplifier on (radio was running off of a separate switching power supply).  I did not even try to TX, as I could not hear anyone. 

 

2.  As above, but not charging battery (about S-7)

 

3.  As above, but also TV amp off (about S-4-5)

 

4. Shore power, WFCO on, TV amp off, with radio tapped into distribution panel** - WFCO +battery (about S-3)

 

5.  Battery only, darned near like 2 meter FM...no noise, other than natural atmospheric .  I had no trouble copying New Zealand (LSB 40M), who was S-0!

 

** The last 2 slots on my distribution panel will accept 30 amp circuits (should be the same on Pod).

 

I took along a 2 meter HT and listened to myself on FM and it seemed clean.

 

However, as I have 2 good power supplies sitting around, I am going to swap out the WFCO and add a West Mountain PWRgate to handle the charging/switching duties and go with 2-3 AGM type batteries - which I can mount inside the camper....it's only money .

 

 

 

 

At one time I had a ham station on my boat, and the 3 stage charger was filthy dirty RF-wise, so I'm interested to see how the WFCO affects your signal. Of course, I also tended to affect things around me when I transmitted. CW made the lights on the compass binnacle flash, and I once tripped out the GFCI breakers on a nearby box in a marina in Canada.

 

Also, I believe AGM and gel cell batteries require different charging voltages than the flooded batteries normally supplied with the pods.

 

 

 

But, as Aris is going to need to take down the fixture to, at least, snip out the shorted wire regardless, it may be worth poking a finger around - just to see. 

 

If you win, I'll send you $.02 upon receipt of a self addressed stamped envelope . 

 

This may be my last post for a few days...heading out tomorrow sometime and still have a ton to do beforehand.  I've been checking in to take rest breaks.  I ran the two 8ga. wires from the WFCO power supply/distribution panel, between the inner and outer floors and came up underneath a small compartment under one of the dinette seats.  Going to try running my radio off of the WFCO - just for the halibut. Worked OK here, but it was not charging the battery.  I don't know if the WFCO would work well charging AGM batteries???  I did find a second source of RF noise - the TV antenna amplifier (Winegard).

 

If you remove the light fixtures between the shorted section, you may be able to use the "channels" that the factory used for the original wiring and fish thru a new section of wiring.  The lights are usually wired in parallel.  I recently did this to lenghten my component video cable running thru the ceiling (it shared a channel with the light wiring) and just this morning, fished two #8AWG wires thru the layers of my floor from one side of the camper to the other, using an existing channel that had 2 pieces of Romex and an RG6 cable in it.  Note that sometimes there are 90 degree turns at the fixtures requiring removing the fixture at the 90, fishing to that point, and then fishing to the next.  It sounds harder than it is.  All you have to do is remove the screws from the fixtures and fish.  When done, reinstall the fixtures.  You won't be able to tell that anything has even been done, visually.

 

Caveat: I did no mods to my Pod, so I can't promise that it will work with the Pod.  It has worked with more than one trailer that I have owned.  I am also assuming that since you are familiar with a meter and testing that something like this would be within your abilities and you sort of know what I am talking about.  Also, don't try to use the existing wire to pull thru the new wire, or you'll just get hung up on the same problem screw.  Good luck! 

 

Doug, we did meet last weekend @ Codorus.  Thanks for responding.

 

Aris

 

The dealer in White Marsh wasn't willing to work with me, either.  I ended up buying from - and later getting warranty work done - from Stoltzfus' in PA.  They were the 2nd closest dealership from me.  I live near the PA/MD line on I-83 and its about a 1 1/2 hour drive one-way.  Not close, but closer than going back to OH.  We camp in that general area several times a year so its not a huge detour if we need to drop it off between trips.

 

If you want to tackle the wiring issue yourself I agree that the better solution may not be ripping the panelling off.  You could look for sticky-backed contact paper with a similar color/design, and then run wires from the nearest 12 volt source, covering it with the contact paper.  Worst case, you can buy sticky-backed printer paper, take a picture of your wall, then print the pattern on the paper.  With some trial and error you should be able to get it very close.

It sounds like you may have made the right decision in not doing business with your local dealer in the first place. I might contact FR and see which other nearby dealers actually want to stay in business. I'm sure you'll find a dealer willing to take on the job.

 

Worst case scenario, it might be easier to take a different route than the original wiring, disconnecting, then bypassing the shorted section of wire completely. Less disassembly might be needed.

 

 

A dealer refusing to do work on a trailer not purchased from his/her dealership can be an issue.  In their 2010 r-pod brochure (page 7), "Forest River, Inc. strongly encourages our retail customers to purchase from their local dealership whenever possible..."

You should probably contact Forest River directly and ask them for assistance in finding a local dealer willing to work on your trailer.  Here is the contact for service/warranty issues:

New member to the forum, and a very happy owner of a 172T as of September of 2010.

 

Eventhough I am very pleased with it overall, i have noticed a number of things that lead me to believe that these units are put together with very obviously poor workmanship.  There are the crooked screws on fixtures, overtightened screws on receptacle plates, big pieces of wire trimmings left over in the breaker box area, multiple screw holes on the roof for the dome lights, the list goes on...

 

But the one that turned into a failure that bothered me the most was the apparently shorted wires leading up to the two dome lights in the rear of the pod.  After having blown a fuse or two, i decited to check the wiring leading up to those two lights. Sure enough, i can detect (with a meter) a short in the wiring somewhere (with the fuse removed of course).

 

I spoke to the serice folks over at Jeff Couch's and they told me that they have seen this issue twice.  Both times, paneling screws were driven through the wires shorting it to ground.

 

To complicate matters, my local r-pod dealer is apparently mad at me for not buying from him (eventhough i tried to work with him, and was even willing to pay $1,000 more to buy locally), and he is now refusing warrnaty work on my pod.

 

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

Aris.